Glass-ceramic article

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a glass-ceramic article comprising at least one substrate, such as a plate, made of glass-ceramic, said substrate being coated in at least one area with at least one enamel coating such that: 
     1) said enamel has a gloss at 60° of less than 40, 
     2) the coverage rate of said enamel in said area coated with said coating is 40 to 80%, 
     3) said enamel preferably:
         3a) is free of pigments in the form of mica or aluminum oxide or silica particles coated with metal oxides or combinations of metal oxides, and   3b) has a roughness Ra greater than or equal to 0.4 μm and/or a luminosity L* greater than 50.

The present invention relates to the field of glass-ceramics. Moreprecisely, it relates to an article, or a product, made ofglass-ceramic, in particular a glass-ceramic plate intended to serve asa furniture surface and/or a cooking surface.

The term glass-ceramic article or article made of glass-ceramic means anarticle based on a substrate (such as a plate) made of glass-ceramicmaterial, said substrate which can, if need be, be provided withaccessories or additional decorative or functional elements required forits end use, the article which can designate both the substrate aloneand that provided with additional equipment (for example a cooktopprovided with its control panel, heating elements, etc.).

A glass-ceramic is originally a glass, referred to as precursor glass orgreen glass, the specific chemical composition of which makes allowscontrolled crystallization to be induced by means of suitable heattreatments, known as ceramization. This specific, partly crystallizedstructure gives glass-ceramics unique properties.

There are currently different types of glass-ceramic plates, eachvariant being the result of extensive studies and numerous tests, as itis very difficult to modify these plates and/or their production processwithout risking an adverse effect on the desired properties: inparticular, to be able to be used as a cooktop, a glass-ceramic platemust generally have a transmittance in the wavelengths of the visiblerange which is both sufficiently low to mask at least some of theunderlying heating elements when not in use and sufficiently high sothat, depending on the case (radiant heating, induction heating, etc.),the user can, for safety purposes, see the heating elements in workingorder; it must also have a high transmittance in the wavelengths of theinfrared range in the particular case of plates with radiant burners.Glass-ceramic plates must also have sufficient mechanical strength asrequired in their field of use. In particular, in order to be used as acooktop in the field of household appliances or as a furniture surface,a glass-ceramic plate must have good resistance to pressure, impact(support and dropping of utensils, etc.), etc.

The most common glass-ceramic cooktops are dark in color, in particularblack or brown or orange-brown in color, but there are also plates witha lighter-looking appearance (in particular white in color, for examplewith a haze of at least 50% as described in patent FR2766816), andtransparent plates generally with opacifying coatings or with filtersfor special color effects.

Traditionally, glass-ceramic plates are used as cooktops, or they canalso be associated with heating elements in other applications, forexample to form fireplace inserts. Recently, their use has expanded toother areas of everyday life: glass-ceramic plates can be used asfurniture surfaces, for example to form worktops, central islands,consoles, etc., the surface area they occupy in these new applicationsbeing greater than in the past. Depending on their use, they may beequipped with buttons, tactile areas, switches or other controls, theirsurface being in all cases (even in the case of a simple furnituresurface) subject to multiple contacts related to their use, generallyresulting in the appearance of unsightly fingerprints at the places ofcontact, leading to repeated cleaning as needed, particularly when theplates are dark and shiny. Such marks or soiling can also interfere withother possible components (heating elements, light sources, displays,etc.) of the glass-ceramic product.

To avoid fingerprints on product surfaces, it is known in other fields(for example in the field of glass window screens) to apply hydrophobiccoatings (which repel water) and oleophobic coatings (which repel oil)to limit the amount of liquid(s) (water, sebum) deposited when incontact with the finger. However, such coatings, which must be appliedover the entire surface to be protected, are not thermally resistant,which poses problems for cooktop-type applications.

It is also known to texture the glass surface of products to limit thevisibility of fingerprints. However, the textures generally used arefragile and have poor resistance to mechanical stress (cleaning,abrasion).

In the field of glass-ceramics, existing textures or coatings are notgenerally suitable for systematically remedying fingerprint problems.The most frequently used coatings are above all coatings chosen toresist high temperatures, such as enamels, used locally to formdecorative patterns or to indicate heating areas, for example, or paintsused rather flat as opacifiers. However, these conventional coatingsgenerally do not prevent fingerprints from the handling and use of thecoated substrates, the enamels can also locally reduce the mechanicalresistance of glass-ceramic plates and flake off, and paints are notsuitable for all the heating modes for cooktops because of their lowerresistance, particularly thermal resistance. It is also known to useother coatings based in particular on thin metallic layers depositedflat on a large part of the surface of the substrate, but such layerssometimes, on the contrary, contribute to the problems of fingerprints.

The present invention has therefore sought to develop improvedglass-ceramic products which limit the visibility of fingerprints ontheir surface, in particular new glass-ceramic plates for use with oneor more heating elements such as cooktops, or intended to serve as afurniture surface, these plates having anti-fingerprint properties,without negatively affecting the other properties sought for their use,in particular without negatively affecting their ease of maintenance andcleaning, nor their resistance, in particular their mechanical, scratchand abrasion resistance and, if need be, appropriate thermal resistance,and without being detrimental to their service life, while making sureto propose a simple and, if possible, flexible solution allowing thepresence of additional decorations or functions as required.

This goal is achieved by means of the glass-ceramic product developedaccording to the invention in which the visibility of surfacefingerprints is reduced by applying a specific enamel coating, saidcoating and said enamel being selected according to precise criteria inorder to obtain the desired anti-fingerprinting effect. Indeed, theinventors have demonstrated that by choosing an enamel and applying itaccording to the criteria listed below, the anti-fingerprint effect wasvisibly obtained for different types of glass-ceramic substrates (moreor less dark or with different compositions, etc.), while maintaining acertain flexibility in the composition of the enamel (to obtaindifferent colors, for example) as long as the enamel and the depositedcoating remain within the limits defined below.

The present invention therefore relates to a new glass-ceramic article,comprising at least one substrate, such as a plate, made ofglass-ceramic, said substrate being coated in at least one area with atleast one enamel coating (or deposition or layer of enamel) such that:

1) said enamel has a gloss (or degree of gloss) at 60° of less than 40,

2) the coverage rate of said enamel (or of said enamel coating) in saidarea coated with said coating is 40 to 80%,

3) said enamel preferably:

-   -   3a) is free of pigments in the form of mica or aluminum oxide or        silica particles coated with metal oxides or combinations of        metal oxides, and    -   3b) has a roughness Ra greater than or equal to 0.4 μm and/or a        luminosity L* greater than 50.

The enamel coating thus selected and applied generates in the coatedarea of said coating a reduction in the visibility of fingerprints, orin other words confers on said area anti-fingerprint properties (orfunctionality).

The glass-ceramic article (or product) according to the invention is inparticular a cooktop or any piece of furniture (or comprising, or formedof) at least one substrate of glass-ceramic (material) (the substratebeing most commonly in the form of a plate, which is integrated ormounted in the piece of furniture and/or combined with other elements toform the piece of furniture), said substrate which can, if need be, havedisplay areas (in combination for example with light-emitting sources)or decorated areas or be combined with heating elements. In its mostcommon application, the article according to the invention is intendedto serve as a cooktop, this plate being generally intended to beintegrated in a hotplate or stove comprising heating elements, forexample radiant or halogen burners or induction heating elements. Inanother advantageous application, the article according to the inventionis a glass-ceramic worktop or a central island, if need be withdifferent displays and without necessarily cooking areas, or aconsole-type piece of furniture (the substrate forming for example theupper part), etc.

The substrate (or the article according to the invention itself if it isformed only from the substrate) is generally (in the form of) a plate,intended in particular for use with, in particular to cover or receive,at least one light source and/or heating element or intended to serve asa furniture surface. This substrate (or respectively this plate) isgenerally geometrically shaped, in particular rectangular, or square, orcircular or oval, etc., and generally has one side facing the user inthe position of use (or visible or outer side, generally the top side inthe position of use), another side generally hidden, for example in afurniture frame or cabinet, in the position of use (or inner side,generally the bottom side in the position of use), and an edge (orthickness). The upper or outer side is generally flat and smooth but mayalso locally have at least one raised area and/or at least one recessedarea and/or at least one opening and/or beveled edges, such variationsin shape constituting in particular continuous variations of the plate.The bottom or inner side may also be flat and smooth or provided withpins.

The thickness of the glass-ceramic substrate is generally at least 2 mm,in particular at least 2.5 mm, and is advantageously less than 15 mm, inparticular is of the order of 3 to 15 mm, in particular of the order of3 to 8 mm or of the order of 3 to 6 mm. The substrate is preferably aplanar or quasi-planar plate (in particular with a deflection of lessthan 0.1% of the diagonal of the plate, and preferably of the order ofzero).

The substrate can be based on any glass-ceramic, this substrateadvantageously having a CTE of zero or almost zero, in particular less(in absolute value) than 30·10⁻⁷K⁻¹ between 20 and 700° C., inparticular less than 15·10⁻⁷K⁻¹, or less than 5·10⁻⁷K⁻¹ between 20 and700° C.

The invention is more particularly directed to substrates with a darkappearance, low transmissivity and low diffusion, in particular based onany glass-ceramic having, intrinsically, a light transmittance LT below40%, in particular below 5%, in particular of 0.2 to 2% forglass-ceramics up to 6 mm thick, and an optical transmittance(determined in a known way by calculating the ratio between thetransmitted intensity and the incident intensity at a given wavelength)between 0.5 and 3% for a wavelength of 625 nm in the visible range.“Intrinsically” means that the substrate has such transmittance on itsown, without the presence of any coating. Optical measurements are madeaccording to standard EN 410. In particular, the light transmittance LTis measured according to standard EN 410 using illuminant D65, and isthe total transmittance (in particular integrated in the visible rangeand weighted by the sensitivity curve of the human eye), taking intoaccount both direct transmittance and possible diffuse transmittance,the measurement being made for example using a spectrophotometerequipped with an integrating sphere (in particular with thespectrophotometer marketed by the company Perkin Elmer under the nameLambda 950).

In particular, a substrate with a black or brown appearance is used,which, in combination with light sources placed beneath, allows luminousareas or decorations to be displayed while masking any underlyingelements. It can in particular be based on a black glass-ceramiccomprising crystals of β-quartz structure within a residual vitreousphase, the absolute value of its coefficient of thermal expansion beingadvantageously less than or equal to 15·10⁻⁷K⁻¹, or even to 5·10⁻⁷K⁻¹,such as the glass-ceramic of the plates marketed under the nameKerablack+ by the company Eurokera. It may in particular be aglass-ceramic refined with arsenic of composition as described in patentapplication EP0437228 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,045 or FR2657079, or aglass-ceramic refined with tin, with an arsenic oxide contentpreferentially below 0.1%, for example of composition as described inpatent application WO 2012/156444, or refined with sulfide(s) asdescribed in patent application WO2008053110.

The present invention can also be applied in the case where thesubstrate is lighter, for example for a transparent substrate, coated ifneed be with an opacifying coating, generally of paint, on its bottomside, such as a plate marketed under the name Keralite® by the companyEurokera.

In accordance with the invention, the glass-ceramic substrate concernedis coated in at least one area (or at least one area of said substrateis coated), more particularly on the surface, on at least part of oneside, advantageously on at least part of the side facing the user in theposition of use and/or requiring a reduction in the visibility offingerprints, generally the top or outer side in the position of use, orcan even be coated on several areas on one or more sides, or even on theentirety of one or more sides.

It is coated with at least (or by at least) one enamel coating asdefined according to the invention, i.e. with at least one enamelcoating having (or selected and applied so as to have) theaforementioned features. The area coated with the enamel coatingaccording to the invention is preferably (or preferably occupies anarea) of at least 5 cm by 5 cm, in particular at least 10 cm by 10 cm,particularly at least 20 cm by 20 cm. The thickness of said enamelcoating is preferentially between 1.5 μm and 3.5 μm.

As first indicated, the enamel is thus chosen so as to have a gloss (ora degree of gloss) at 60° of less than 40 (value expressed in “glossunits” or unitless), this gloss being measured with the spectro-guide45-0 marketed by the company BYK Gardner, according to standard ISO 2813on enamel deposited flat (with a coverage rate of 100%).

Gloss is the optical characteristic of a light-reflecting surface and ismeasured along an axis tilted with respect to the surface normal (herean axis of 60° with respect to the surface normal) of the enameldeposited flat. The enamel selected (by simple measurement of the glossof the enamels tested and selection of those which meet the criterion)according to the invention thus has a gloss (or degree of gloss) at 60°according to standard ISO 2813 comprised between 0 and 40.

As also indicated in the second selection criterion, the coverage rateof the enamel or of the enamel coating in the area (coated with saidcoating) for which the anti-fingerprint effect is sought and obtainedaccording to the invention, is from 40 to 80% (or comprised between 40and 80% inclusive), this rate being defined as the surface actuallycovered by the enamel divided by the surface of said area, the coveragerate being in practice measurable on any analysis surface of 15 by 10 mmin the area provided with the coating for which the anti-fingerprinteffect is sought and obtained according to the invention, said areabeing at least 5 cm by 5 cm. The coverage rate is measured using anoptical bench with a 1024-pixel camera with the product number SVSECO267 marketed by the company SVS Vistek and backlighting bylight-emitting diode (LED Backlight compact SBACKII 51×51 mm marketed bythe company TPL Vision) placed under the sample for capturing the imageand using the free ImageJ software for analysis of the image.

Preferably, the coverage rate of said enamel coating (in the area forwhich the anti-fingerprint effect is sought), is from 50% to 80%,particularly preferably from 55% to 80%, and in particular from 58% to79%, particularly of the order of 59% or 60% to 75% or 76%.

The profile or pattern (mixture or alternation of covered and uncoveredportions in the area on which the coating has been deposited) of theenamel coating according to the invention is in particular, andadvantageously, random and isotropic.

This coverage rate (which can be adjusted according to the method ofdeposition chosen, the enamel deposition being generally performed inthe present invention by screen printing—a more or less covering screenprinting screen can then be chosen—or enamel jet—a greater or lesserprojection can then be chosen) combined with the choice of a particulargloss produces improved results (compared in particular with uncoveredareas, or in comparison with areas that are more lightly or heavilycoated, for example coated with a flat—continuous deposition—of saidenamel, or in comparison with areas coated with a more glossy enamel) interms of the anti-fingerprint effect on the desired areas.

Preferably, the enamel coating selected is furthermore a coatingcombining the above-mentioned features 3a) and 3b), the results thusobtained being particularly satisfactory and improved. Thus, the enamel(and the enamel coating) is advantageous:

-   -   without (or free of) pigments in the form of mica particles        covered (or coated) with metal oxides or combinations of metal        oxides, in particular without mica particles coated with TiO₂ or        coated with Fe₂O₃, or coated with a TiO₂—Fe₂O₃ combination or        with a TiO₂—SnO₂ combination or with a TiO₂—Fe₂O₃—SnO₂        combination;    -   without pigments in the form of aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) particles        coated with metal oxides or combinations of metal oxides, in        particular without Al₂O₃ particles coated with a TiO₂—SnO₂        combination or with a TiO₂—SnO₂—SiO₂ combination;    -   without pigments in the form of silica particles coated with        metal oxides or combinations of metal oxides, in particular        without silica particles coated with a TiO₂—SnO₂ combination or        a Fe₂O₃—ZrO₂ combination;    -   or even devoid of any other “effect” pigments (i.e. metallic        effect pigment(s) also called interference pigment(s) or        pearlescent pigment(s), these pigments leading to a high        reflection of the incident light, because they are not absorbent        but reflective unlike conventional pigments), i.e. in other        words the enamel coating (respectively the enamel) is an enamel        coating (respectively an enamel) with a so-called “non-metallic”        appearance.

It should be noted that the term particles also covers the terms flakesor plaques depending on the usual forms of the pigments concerned.

Any pigments contained in the enamel (or the enamel coating) accordingto the invention (enamel based on glass frit) may be in particularclassical (non-metallic) pigments, for example traditional pigments ofthe metal oxides or chromates type, for example chromium, copper, iron,cobalt or nickel oxides, or copper or cobalt chromates, etc. Preferably,the proportion of pigments in the enamel composition in dry form is from10 to 35% by weight of said composition, the enamel compositionessentially consisting, in dry form, of a glass frit to which pigmentsare added if need be, a medium then being added to allow application ofthe coating, this medium then being removed during the heat treatmentallowing the final coating to be produced (ceramization heat treatmentof the plate or rework heat treatment).

Preferably according to the invention, the enamel used furtheradvantageously comprises (in the dry composition including the frit andthe pigments) a proportion of B₂O₃ of less than or equal to 25%, inparticular less than 20%, and preferentially less than 15%, inparticular less than 10%, or even less than 6% by weight.

In combination with the choice of an enamel or an enamel coating free ofthe above-mentioned pigments, the enamel coating must also in this casehave a roughness Ra greater than or equal to 0.4 μm (roughness of theenamel deposited flat (with a 100% coverage rate)) and/or a luminosityL* (luminosity of the enamel deposited flat (with a 100% coverage rate))greater than 50 (the roughness condition not in fact being necessary forsuch an enamel when it is clear).

The roughness Ra is a well-known roughness parameter and is thearithmetic mean roughness of the profile (arithmetic mean of theabsolute values of the deviations between successive peaks and troughs),defined over an evaluation length. The roughness Ra as considered hereis measured according to ISO 4287 over an evaluation length of 4 mmusing a Mitutoyo model SJ401 sensor.

Preferably, the roughness Ra is 0.4 to 0.7 μm (or comprised between 0.4and 07 μm inclusive).

This roughness of the enamel replaces any initial microroughness on thesurface of the substrate.

The luminosity L* is a component defined in the CIE colorimetric systemand is evaluated in a known way, using in particular a Byk-Gardner ColorGuide 45/0 colorimeter (reflection colorimetry) on the upper surface ofthe enamel layer deposited on a 4 mm thick glass-ceramic marketed underthe name Kerablack+ by the company Eurokéra.

Preferably the luminosity L* is between 50 and 70.

It can be observed that the enamel coating selected according to theinvention is devoid of hydrophobic character (the water contact angle onthis coating being less than 90°) and devoid of oleophobic character(the diiodomethane contact angle on this coating being less than 90°).

It can also be observed that the area for which the anti-fingerprinteffect is desired is coated with the selected enamel coating, withoutthe need to carry out any preliminary treatment (for example dipping orpriming), to obtain both good adhesion of the coating and the effectsought.

The substrate according to the invention may optionally be coated withother coatings or layers which have a functional and/or decorativeeffect, deposited in particular in areas other than the areas coatedwith the anti-fingerprint enamel, such as usual patterns based on otherenamels or an opacifying paint layer on another part of the substrate,or one or more functional layers such as an anti-scratch layer,anti-overflow layer, opacifying layer, etc. The article according to theinvention may further comprise, associated or combined with thesubstrate, one or more light sources and/or one or more heating elements(such as one or more radiant or halogen elements and/or one or moreatmospheric gas burners and/or one or more means of induction heating),generally placed on the bottom side of the substrate. The one or moresources may be integrated in or coupled to one or more display-typestructures, to an electronic control strip with touch-sensitive keys anddigital display, etc., and are advantageously formed by light-emittingdiodes, more or less spaced, optionally associated with one or moreoptical guides.

The article can also be equipped with (or associated with) additionalfunctional element(s) (frame, connector(s), cable(s), controlelement(s), etc.).

The invention has thus made it possible to develop a glass-ceramicproduct with a surface coated at the desired locations (for example onthe areas most exposed to handling or soiling, such as control ordisplay areas or heating areas, etc.) with a composition selected toobtain an anti-fingerprint effect, while respecting the constraints, inparticular the thermal and mechanical constraints, specific to the useof said products, and while keeping glass-ceramic products long-lastingand easy to maintain. The solution according to the present inventionthus makes it possible to obtain simply and economically, withoutcomplex operations (the coating which can be deposited by traditionalenamel deposition techniques, such as silk-screen printing, as indicatedbelow), in a long-lasting way and with great flexibility, areas with ananti-fingerprint effect in any desired area of the product, even whenthese areas are intended to be subjected to high temperatures. Thearticle according to the invention has in particular a good thermalresistance compatible with the use of various types of heaters, and doesnot pose problems of maintenance, scratching or abrasion as indicatedabove. The article according to the invention does not in particularsuffer thermal degradation at temperatures of 400° C. or higher, whichcan be reached in particular in applications such as use as cooktops.The article according to the invention also has good adhesion of thecoating to the glass-ceramic substrate (without the need for preliminarytreatment of the substrate and/or the use of an adhesion promoter, abond coat or a primer). In particular, this coating does not show anydelamination after thermal shock (for example at around 600° C.) and isresistant to high temperatures. The coating also has good scratchresistance. The coated substrate can be easily cleaned and has a longservice life.

The present invention also relates to a process for manufacturing theglass-ceramic article according to the invention, starting from a glasssubstrate (the green glass substrate to form the glass-ceramic substrateby ceramization), in which at least one coating of an enamel as selectedaccording to the invention (meeting the criteria indicated above in thedefinition of the article according to the invention) is applied to atleast one part of said glass substrate (green glass) beforeceramization, then ceramization of the glass substrate (green glasssubstrate) thus coated is carried out, this ceramization then making itpossible to obtain a glass-ceramic substrate at least partially (in atleast one area) coated with at least one anti-fingerprint coating asdescribed above.

Alternatively, the enamel coating can optionally be deposited on thealready ceramized substrate and refired, for example in a tunnel kiln.In this case, at least one coating of an enamel as selected according tothe invention is applied to at least part of a glass-ceramic substrateand the enamel is then fired for example at a temperature of the orderof 850° C.

It should be recalled that the manufacture of glass-ceramic platesgenerally proceeds as follows: in a melting furnace, glass of the chosencomposition is melted to form the glass-ceramic, then the molten glassis laminated into a standard ribbon or sheet by passing the molten glassbetween laminating rollers and the glass ribbon is cut to the desireddimensions. The plates thus cut are then ceramized in a manner known perse, the ceramization consisting in firing the plates according to thechosen thermal profile in order to transform the glass into thepolycrystalline material called “glass-ceramic” whose coefficient ofthermal expansion is nil or virtually nil and which resists a thermalshock which can go in particular up to 700° C. Ceramization generallycomprises a step of gradual elevation of the temperature to thenucleation range, a step of traversing the nucleation interval (forexample between 650 and 830° C.) in several minutes (for example between5 and 60 minutes), an additional increase in temperature to allowcrystal growth (ceramization in a range for example from 850 to 1000°C., with temperature maintained at the ceramization stage for severalminutes (for example from 5 to 30 minutes) and then rapid cooling toroom temperature.

The application or deposition, before ceramization, of the enamelcoating on green glass can be carried out by any suitable and rapidtechnique for depositing enamels, the application preferably being byscreen printing or enamel jet.

The coated substrate is then subjected to the ceramization heattreatment (at temperatures which can reach between 850 and 1000° C.) fora period of usually several tens of minutes, as described above.

If need be, the process also comprises a cutting operation (generallybefore ceramization), for example by water jet, mechanical scribing,etc., followed by a shaping operation (grinding, beveling, etc.).

The following examples illustrate but do not limit the presentinvention. In these examples, 10 cm by 10 cm plaques of the samesubstrate made of a translucent black glass-ceramic, marketed asKeraBlack+ by Eurokera, were used, these plaques having a smooth topside and a bottom side with pins and a thickness of 4 mm, these plaquesbeing coated according to the examples of different enamel coatings tobe compared, the enamel coatings having been deposited byscreen-printing on the green glass substrate to afford the translucentblack glass-ceramic, and then said green glass substrate having beenceramized to afford the glass-ceramic.

Several impressions were then made on the enamel-coated areas and on theglass-ceramic as a reference. The following scoring was used, the higherthe number the more visible the print, the highest score (4) being thatof the reference (uncoated glass-ceramic): 0 corresponded to the absenceof visible fingerprints, 1 corresponded to a print that is barelydiscernable, 2 corresponded to a print that could be made out by closerobservation, 3 corresponded to a print that could be seen immediatelybut was less pronounced than that on the glass-ceramic, and 4corresponded to a fingerprint identical to that on the glass-ceramic.These scores were attributed for each comparison by a 5-person panel,under the same conditions at each evaluation, per series of roughly 10samples per enamel, at an angle of 60° to normal, on the same day of theapplication of the finger (unless otherwise stated), the scoresattributed by the different people being then compared and averaged.

For the first comparisons, an enamel of the following composition wasused: Al₂O₃: 5.8-6.8%; Li₂O+Na₂O+K₂O: 5.1-7.8%; B₂O₃: 3.8-5.7%,CaO+BaO+MgO: 18-21.5%, ZrO₂: 1-1.8%, ZnO 6.2-7.8%, Fe—Cr—Co—Ni oxideparticles (pigments without metallic effect): 10%, the rest (to 100% byweight) being silica SiO₂, this enamel having a gloss (flat) of 31, aroughness Ra of 0.4 μm, and a luminosity L* of 10, and being tested withdifferent coverage rates, in a 2.5 μm thick coating. The coverage ratestested were respectively: 10%, 36%, 42%, 46%, 48%, 58%, 59%, 60%, 72%,74%, 78%, 80% and 100%. Scores (averages) below 1 were given for rates42 to 80%, with the lowest scores and with the least dispersion beingobserved for rates ranging from 55 to 78%, with an optimum at 60%.

The enamel was then compared, at the same thickness (2.5 μm) and with an80% coverage rate for each enamel tested, with a non-metallized enamelnot in accordance with the invention having a gloss of 34, a roughnessRa of 0.3 μm, and a luminosity L* of 6.5, of composition selected fromthe following composition: Al₂O₃: 12.5-13.4%; Li₂O+Na₂O+K₂O: 3.8-5.9%;B₂O₃: 18-19.8%, CaO+BaO+MgO: 1.7-2.3%, ZrO₂: 1.4-2%, particles ofFe—Cr—Co—Ni oxides and Co—Si oxides (non-metallized pigments): 30%, therest (to 100% by weight) being silica SiO₂. The average score obtainedwas 2.

The enamel was then compared, at an 80% coverage rate and the samethickness as before, with another non-metallized enamel according to theinvention having a gloss (flat) of 34, a roughness Ra of 0.2 μm, and aluminosity L* of 57.7, of the following composition: Al₂O₃: 12.9-13.8%;Li₂O+Na₂O+K₂O: 3.9-6%; B₂O₃: 18.5-20.4%, CaO+BaO+MgO: 1.7-2.4%, ZrO₂:1.4-2.1%, TiO₂ particles (pigments without metallic effect): 30%, therest (to 100% by weight) being silica SiO₂. The average score obtainedwas of the order of 0.

The enamel was then compared, at an 80% coverage rate and the samethickness as before, with a metallized enamel not in accordance with theinvention having a gloss (flat) of 66, a roughness Ra of 0.2 μm, and aluminosity L* of 9.3, of composition selected from the followingcomposition: Al₂O₃: 15.2-16.2%; Li₂O+Na₂O+K₂O: 4.6-7.1%; B₂O₃:21.8-24.1%, CaO+BaO+MgO: 2-2.8%, ZrO₂: 1.7-2.5%, Xirallic F60-25pigments marketed by Merck (pigments with metallic effect): 15%, therest (to 100% by weight) being silica SiO₂. The average score obtainedwas 2.

The enamel coatings meeting the conditions according to the inventionhave shown anti-fingerprint properties as opposed to other coatings notmeeting these conditions. Furthermore, there were no significantdifferences in scoring noted when the tests were performed 7 or 14 daysafter application of the fingers.

In addition, the substrate and the coatings obtained showed nodelamination after a thermal shock of 620° C. and showed no degradationof appearance after 100 h at 580° C.

The articles according to the invention can in particular be used withadvantage to make a new range of cooktops for stoves or hotplates or anew range of worktables, consoles, credenzas, central islands, etc.

1. A glass-ceramic article, comprising: at least one substrate made ofglass-ceramic, wherein said substrate is coated in at least one areawith at least one enamel coating such that: 1) said enamel has a glossat 60° of less than 40; and 2) the coverage rate of said enamel in saidarea coated with said coating is 40 to 80%.
 2. The glass-ceramic articleas claimed in claim 1, wherein said substrate is based on aglass-ceramic having intrinsically a light transmittance LT underilluminant D65 of less than 40% and an optical transmittance between 0.5and 3% for a wavelength of 625 nm.
 3. The glass-ceramic article asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the area coated with said enamel coating isat least 5 cm by 5 cm.
 4. The glass-ceramic article as claimed in claim1, wherein the profile or pattern of said enamel coating is random andisotropic.
 5. The glass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, whereinsaid enamel is free of effect pigments.
 6. The glass-ceramic article asclaimed in claim 5, wherein said enamel has a roughness Ra from 0.4 to0.7 μm and/or a luminosity L* comprised between 50 and
 70. 7. Theglass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said enamelcomprises a proportion of B₂O₃ less than or equal to 25% by weight. 8.The glass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness ofsaid coating is between 1.5 μm and 3.5 μm.
 9. The glass-ceramic articleas claimed in claim 1, wherein said enamel coating is devoid ofhydrophobic character and devoid of oleophobic character.
 10. Theglass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said area is coatedwith said enamel coating without preliminary treatment of said area. 11.The glass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said article orsaid substrate is a cooktop or a worktop or a central island or aconsole.
 12. A process for manufacturing a glass-ceramic article asclaimed in claim 1, the process comprising: applying at least one enamelcoating such that: 1) said enamel has a gloss at 60° of less than 40;and 2) the coverage rate of said enamel in said area coated with saidcoating is 40 to 80%, either on at least part of a glass substrate andthen performing ceramization of the glass substrate thus coated, or onat least part of a glass-ceramic substrate and then firing the enamel.13. The process as claimed in claim 12, wherein said enamel: 3a) is freeof pigments in the form of mica or aluminum oxide or silica particlescoated with metal oxides or combinations of metal oxides; and 3b) has aroughness Ra greater than or equal to 0.4 μm and/or a luminosity L*greater than
 50. 14. The glass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1,wherein said enamel: 3a) is free of pigments in the form of mica oraluminum oxide or silica particles coated with metal oxides orcombinations of metal oxides; and 3b) has a roughness Ra greater than orequal to 0.4 μm and/or a luminosity L* greater than
 50. 15. Theglass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the area coatedwith said enamel coating is at least 10 cm by 10 cm.
 16. Theglass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein the area coatedwith said enamel coating is at least 20 cm by 20 cm.
 17. Theglass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said enamelcomprises a proportion of B₂O₃ less than or equal to 20% by weight. 18.The glass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said enamelcomprises a proportion of B₂O₃ less than or equal to 15% by weight. 19.The glass-ceramic article as claimed in claim 1, wherein said areacoated is not primarily coated with a primer.